Ligue 1 2026-27, Le Havre change at the top, survival still the aim | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Demba Ba has replaced Mathieu Bodmer as Le Havre’s sporting director and a turbulent summer has followed. With around 20 moves, Ba is steering a major rebuild while the target remains plain, staying in Ligue 1 in 2026-27.

Ba arrives on the back of well-regarded work at Dunkerque in Ligue 2.

Sota Nakamura arrived on 17 July on loan with an option to buy from Sanfrecce Hiroshima, facilitated by Ba’s network. The 23-year-old has two caps and one goal for Japan, stands 1.68 m and weighs 64 kg. He is viewed as very quick, strong in combination and a neat finisher, able to play wide or in an advanced central role, and he is yet to make his Ligue 1 bow.

The sporting department had roughly €2 million to work with this summer. Since returning to Ligue 1 in 2023-2024, the club have spent only €2.1 million across six windows on three buys, €400,000 for Issa Soumaré, €700,000 for Rassoul Ndiaye and €1 million for Emmanuel Sabbi.

Of the current squad, only Rassoul Ndiaye and Simon Ebonog played league minutes for the first team in 2023-2024, the promotion season. Paul Argney, Mathéo Bodmer and Mokrane Bentoumi were listed on team sheets without coming on.

Le Havre are entering a fourth straight top-flight campaign, a first since the end of the 20th century. The club previously spent nine uninterrupted seasons in the elite from 1991-1992 to 1999-2000, their longest run.

Source: L'Équipe

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